Revised Code of Washington - RCW Title 68 Cemeteries, Morgues, And Human Remains - Chapter 68.50 Human Remains

68.50.010 Coroner's jurisdiction over remains
The jurisdiction of bodies of all deceased persons who come to their death suddenly when in apparent good health without medical attendance within the thirty-six ...

68.50.015 Immunity for determining cause and manner of death -- Judicial review of determination
A county coroner or county medical examiner or persons acting in that capacity shall be immune from civil liability for determining the cause and manner ...

68.50.020 Notice to coroner -- Penalty
It shall be the duty of every person who knows of the existence and location of a dead body coming under the jurisdiction of the ...

68.50.032 Transportation of remains directed by coroner or medical examiner -- Costs
Whenever a coroner or medical examiner assumes jurisdiction over human remains and directs transportation of those remains by a funeral establishment, as defined in RCW ...

68.50.035 Unlawful to refuse burial to non-Caucasian
It shall be unlawful for any cemetery under this chapter to refuse burial to any person because such person may not be of the Caucasian ...

68.50.040 Deceased's effects to be listed
Duplicate lists of all jewelry, moneys, papers, and other personal property of the deceased shall be made immediately upon finding the same by the coroner ...

68.50.050 Removal or concealment of body -- Penalty
Any person, not authorized by the coroner or his deputies, who removes the body of a deceased person not claimed by a relative or friend, ...

68.50.060 Bodies for instruction purposes
Any physician or surgeon of this state, or any medical student under the authority of any such physician or surgeon, may obtain, as hereinafter provided, ...

68.50.070 Bodies, when may be used for dissection
Any sheriff, coroner, keeper or superintendent of a county poorhouse, public hospital, county jail, or state institution shall surrender the dead bodies of persons required ...

68.50.080 Certificate and bond before receiving bodies
Every physician or surgeon before receiving the dead body must give to the board or officer surrendering the same to him a certificate from the ...

68.50.090 Penalty
Any person violating any provision of RCW 68.50.060 through 68.50.080 shall upon conviction thereof be fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars.[1987 c ...

68.50.100 Dissection, when permitted -- Autopsy of person under the age of three years
(1) The right to dissect a dead body shall be limited to cases specially provided by statute or by the direction or will of the ...

68.50.101 Autopsy, post mortem -- Who may authorize
Autopsy or post mortem may be performed in any case where authorization has been given by a member of one of the following classes of ...

68.50.102 Court petition for autopsy -- Cost
Any party by showing just cause may petition the court to have autopsy made and results thereof made known to said party at his own ...

68.50.103 Autopsies in industrial deaths
In an industrial death where the cause of death is unknown, and where the department of labor and industries is concerned, said department in its ...

68.50.104 Cost of autopsy
(1) The cost of autopsy shall be borne by the county in which the autopsy is performed, except when requested by the department of labor ...

68.50.105 Autopsies, post mortems -- Reports and records confidential -- Exceptions
Reports and records of autopsies or post mortems shall be confidential, except that the following persons may examine and obtain copies of any such report ...

68.50.106 Autopsies, post mortems -- Analyses -- Opinions -- Evidence -- Costs
In any case in which an autopsy or post mortem is performed, the coroner or medical examiner, upon his or her own authority or upon ...

68.50.107 State toxicological laboratory established -- State toxicologist
There shall be established in conjunction with the chief of the Washington state patrol and under the authority of the state forensic investigations council a ...

68.50.108 Autopsies, post mortems -- Consent to embalm or cremate body -- Time limitation
No dead body upon which the coroner, or prosecuting attorney, if there be no coroner in the county, may perform an autopsy or post mortem, ...

68.50.110 Burial or cremating
Except in cases of dissection provided for in RCW 68.50.100, and where human remains shall rightfully be carried through or removed from the state for ...

68.50.120 Holding body for debt -- Penalty
Every person who arrests, attaches, detains, or claims to detain any human remains for any debt or demand, or upon any pretended lien or charge, ...

68.50.130 Unlawful disposal of remains
Every person who performs a disposition of any human remains, except as otherwise provided by law, in any place, except in a cemetery or a ...

68.50.140 Unlawful disturbance, removal, or sale of human remains -- Penalty
(1) Every person who shall remove human remains, or any part thereof, from a grave, vault, or other place where the same has been buried ...

68.50.160 Right to control disposition of remains -- Liability of funeral establishment or cemetery authority -- Liability for cost
(1) A person has the right to control the disposition of his or her own remains without the predeath or postdeath consent of another person. ...

68.50.170 Effect of authorization
Any person signing any authorization for the interment or cremation of any human remains warrants the truthfulness of any fact set forth in the authorization, ...

68.50.185 Individual cremation -- Exception -- Penalty
(1) A person authorized to dispose of human remains shall not cremate or cause to be cremated more than one human remains at a time ...

68.50.200 Permission to remove human remains
Human remains may be removed from a plot in a cemetery with the consent of the cemetery authority and the written consent of one of ...

68.50.210 Notice for order to remove remains
Notice of application to the court for such permission shall be given, at least ten days prior thereto, personally, or at least fifteen days prior ...

68.50.220 Exceptions
RCW 68.50.200 and 68.50.210 do not apply to or prohibit the removal of any human remains from one plot to another in the same cemetery ...

68.50.230 Undisposed human remains -- Rules
Whenever any human remains shall have been in the lawful possession of any person, firm, corporation, or association for a period of ninety days or ...

68.50.232 Undisposed remains -- Entrusting to funeral homes or mortuaries
See RCW 36.24.155. ...

68.50.240 Record of human remains to be kept
The person in charge of any premises on which interments or cremations are made shall keep a record of all human remains interred or cremated ...

68.50.270 Possession of cremated human remains
The person or persons determined under RCW 68.50.160 as having authority to order cremation shall be entitled to possession of the cremated human remains without ...

68.50.290 Corneal tissue for transplantation -- Presumption of good faith
In any subsequent civil action in which the next of kin of a decedent contends that he/she affirmatively informed the county coroner or medical examiner ...

68.50.300 Release of information concerning a death
(1) The county coroner, medical examiner, or prosecuting attorney having jurisdiction may in such official's discretion release information concerning a person's death to the media ...

68.50.310 Dental identification system established -- Powers and duties
A dental identification system is established in the identification section of the Washington state patrol. The dental identification system shall act as a repository or ...

68.50.320 Procedures for investigating missing persons -- Availability of files
When a person reported missing has not been found within thirty days of the report, or at any time the investigating agency suspects criminal activity ...

68.50.330 Identification of body or human remains by dental examination -- Comparison of dental examination records with dental records of dental identification system
If the county coroner or county medical examiner investigating a death is unable to establish the identity of a body or human remains by visual ...

68.50.645 Skeletal human remains -- Duty to notify -- Ground disturbing activities -- Coroner determination -- Definitions
(1) It is the duty of every person who knows of the existence and location of skeletal human remains to notify the coroner and local ...

68.50.900 Effective date -- 1987 c 331
See RCW 68.05.900. ...

68.50.901 Application -- 1993 c 228
RCW *68.50.520 through **68.50.630 and 68.50.901 through 68.50.904 apply to a document of gift, revocation, or refusal to make an anatomical gift signed by the ...

68.50.902 Application -- Construction -- 1993 c 228
This act shall be applied and construed to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this act ...

68.50.903 Severability -- 1993 c 228
If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application ...

68.50.904 Short title -- 1993 c 228
RCW *68.50.520 through **68.50.630 and 68.50.901 through 68.50.903 may be cited as the "uniform anatomical gift act."[1993 c 228 § 16.]Notes: Reviser's note: *(1) RCW ...